Seasons, Book 1, Autumn
by P Vader57
Summary: An epic tale, of a champion who finds out the truth of who, and what, he is.
1. Prologue

Poké fanfic

Prologue

Thud.

A concussive impact shook the stadium, every row, down to the spectators very teeth. Yet, this just urged them on more, making them cheer louder, coming on in waves as the excitement spread throughout the crowd. In the arena, the two pokémon battled on, dealing heavy blows.

A frown crossed the young trainers face, distorting his features. He knew he couldn't slip up here, not now, not in the final. He had not come this far to be defeated now. He quickly assessed the situation. Direct attacks weren't working, so it was time for something different.

"Sandslash!" The Trainer called out, somehow audible over the monstrous crowd, "Use Dig!"

Instantly, the diminutive ground type leapt into the air, showing it's muscled, mousey physique and lethal, gleaming claws. It then plummeted to the earth, claws first, and disappeared in a pillar of dust as it impacted, leaving nothing but a mound of dirt behind.

A column of flame ripped through the dust, forcing the trainer to shield his eyes. The dust was simply blasted out of the way by the intensity of the heat. Following up its attack, a raging Houndoom appeared, snarling angrily. It's barbed black tail whipped back and forth in frustration, it's eyes darting back and forth, looking for it's prey.

The Trainer simply smiled. Typical Houndoom, all bark, no bite. Sandslash had suffered little damage from the last attacks, whereas Houndoom was beginning to show signs of weariness.

Still, the Trainer needed to know more, and he knew what he had to do. He softly closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing down to a crawl, entering a trance like state. Though his eyes were closed, he could still 'see', more clearer than he could with his eyes open. Two swirls of energy were presented to him, one just below the other. One was a mixture of reds and oranges, two hues locked in an eternal, violent dance, flying around rapidly and randomly. The other, just below the red one, was a light tan, spinning calmly, pulsating slightly.

He locked onto the calmer aura, and felt his Sandslash in the centre of it, waiting for the order from it's trainer. In this state, not only could he feel Sandslash, it's emotions, it's wounds, it's location. For that moment, he was Sandslash.

Slowly, through the mental link, he pushed his thought into Sandslash, relaying silent orders. He opened his eyes, steadying himself. Whilst entering this state was undeniably useful, it was exhausting. He was forced to take deep breaths as he tried to steady himself, battling a sudden wave of fatigue. Looking back to the battlefield, Houndoom was now beginning to lose control, unsettled by the lack of appearance of it's opponent.

"Sandslash! Now!"

An explosion went off underneath Houndoom, throwing it and a large amount of gravel across the arena. Sandslash appeared, leaping into the air. Houndoom jumped back to it's feet, and bellowed out a challenge to the still airborne Sandslash. Sandslash hit the ground rolling, straight towards Houndoom.

Fire attacks bounced usefully of the rolling pokémon, it's thick hide impervious to the incoming flames, forcing Houndoom to back up. Again, Sandslash disappeared underground. This time however, it did not linger. Seconds later, it burrowed up from underneath Houndoom, landing two quick, heavy blows to the fire types hind legs.

Houndoom roared out in pain, it's crippled legs unable to sustain its weight. Sandslash remained motionless, it's large, once gleaming claws, now stained crimson. Droplets of blood fell like raindrops, leaving spots near each pokémon's feet.

The crowd roared at the strategy. In one move, the young challenger had taken out one of the champions most renowned battlers.

Sandslash retook a ready stance, prepared to pounce if necessary. The ground type observed it's opponent. Houndoom was two injured to stand, and the match officials ruled it unable to battle.

The crowd roared even louder, Five pokémon down, one to go. This annoyed the challenging trainer, did these people like seeing pokémon injured in this way? It gave him no joy to have caused such damage, even though he knew Houndoom would be fine. Still, what could he expect? He knew this would happen when he entered the tournament, yet he had his reasons. If the crowd wanted violence, they came to the right place.

The Trainer calmed himself, and Sandslash rolled over to him. He hugged his small pokémon, proud that his companion was victorious and relatively unharmed.

His eyes darted up, looking at the champion. As he has been the whole match, he wore a thick black cape, shrouding himself in darkness and mystery. Wordlessly, the Champion recalled the now incapacitated Houndoom and without a pause, summoned his final pokémon.

A light appeared, forming into a smooth, sinuous shape. A large sea serpent appeared, coloured light cream. The crowd collectively gasped at the beauty of the new appearance, yet the challenger remained silent.

A Milotic, this could be a problem, no need for Sandslash any more.

Reaching to his waist, he swiftly recalled Sandslash to it's pokéball with a solitary red beam of light, and then began to think of his options.

All six of the trainers pokémon were ready, but one he had been saving, one who would end this match in a heartbeat.

Looking up at the beautiful Milotic, he almost felt sorry for it. This was his most powerful pokémon, and few in the world could hope to stand up to it. Expanding the pokéball, he closed his eyes, knowing he was but seconds away from becoming grand champion.

With a flash of light, and whoosh of sound, the pokémon appeared.

The crowd looked on, waiting to see what pokémon the so far flawless challenger had brought out to face the champions mighty Milotic. If they were expecting a giant of a pokémon, they were going to be disappointed.

The pokémon appeared, it's fur pure white, with a large black scythe on its head. The crowd remained silent, for once. Evidently, they had expected something a bit more, dramatic, not an Absol. This did not concern the Trainer though, he knew what could be done with this, his most lethal pokémon.

The two pokémon stood, motionless, eyeing each other up, like they were in some old Western movie, waiting to see who would strike first. Over the speakers, the announcer told the crowd the names and types of both pokémon on the field.

Milotic broke first, screaming out a high pitched roar, it began snaking toward Absol, moving quickly as to avoid and possible counter-attacks. Absol remained still, calmly waiting for it's command.

The Trainer barked out his order "Absol now! Use Night Slash!"

At the last second, Absol leapt out of the way of the flailing Milotic, leaving the water type to smash its tail into the ground, raising nothing but dust. Absol came pounding in, its claws glowing with a deep purple. Quickly, it landed three quick gouges in Milotic's smooth frame, causing the pokémon to cry out in pain. As rapidly as the attacks had landed, Absol had leapt back out of range, again, motionless.

Milotic raised itself up to its full height, and drew it's head back, in clear preparation for a water attack. The trainer remained calm, not at all worried, knowing exactly how to handle it.

Milotic released its attack, sending a torrent of sapphire water at the much smaller Absol, and the Trainer gave out his order.

"Absol, Psycho Cut! Right through that hydro pump!"

Pulling it's head back, Absol's black scythe released a light purple blast with a flick of it's neck. The attack was so powerful that it split the oncoming hydro pump in two, dividing it like the seas as the clearly much more powerful attack hurtled toward the shocked Milotic.

The water flew harmlessly past either side of Absol, yet Milotic was not so lucky. The challengers pokémon's attack had caused devastating damage to it, as it had landed head on. Milotic fell to the floor in a heap.

The crowd gasped. Was that it? How had some unknown kid manage to defeat the Grand Champion with apparent ease. On the field, the ref began a count out, but everyone knew what had happened. That pokémon wasn't getting up. Absol walked back to it's trainer and sat by his side, and received a warming ruffle on it's head.

The count finished, and the so called 'Grand Champion' again recalled his pokémon without a word, and left the arena, never showing anyone his face.

That day, the unknown challenger became Grand Champion. And that was the day everything began to change.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Champion**

Eight years ago, an unknown youth crushed all opposition in the grand finals of the pokémon league, and became Grand Champion. He generally became recognised as one of, if not, the best trainer on the planet.

And he was bored.

Samia sat there, swivelling around on his office chair, with his eyes closed, not wanting to look at the mound of fan mail in front of him. Pulling his feet off the table, he brushed his thick, brunette locks out of his sight and cast his eyes round his office, thinking how wrong his naive views of being champion were.

From the simple white walls, the lack of any form of natural light, to the fact his secretary, yes his secretary, was sat outside, the whole thing was dull. He missed the days of being a travelling trainer, of helping his Grandfather out on the reserve, of not being tied down. What did he have now? A room with a desk.

Even his clothing had been forced to change. Looking down, he looked like a cross between a superhero and a businessman. A large pokéball was emblazoned on his chest, bordered with gold thread on a white background. His trousers were, well unremarkable, just simple black slacks, his feet clad in leather boots, his only link to his trainer days. That wasn't even the worst part. Hanging up on the door was a cape. Coloured bright red, he was expected to where it on all official occasions. Quite frankly he hated the damn thing.

Exhaling, Samia guessed he should start on the fan mail. If you could call it mail, the immature and disjointed letters were mainly from ten year olds, with the most coherent of it normally along the lines of "I THINK U IS AWEZOME BE MY FRIEND PLEAZE." They could at least learn to spell properly, and without slipping on the caps lock button. It was unbelievably tempting to write back 'Caps lock is not cruise control for awesome, now go back to school', but apparently that would be sending the 'wrong message'.

Picking up a pen off the green wooden desk, he pushed down on the silver top, revealing the nib with a satisfying click. Again and again, he wrote more or less the same response. 'Thank you for taking the time to write to me, train hard, be kind to your pokémon, and one day I hope to see you in the League!' Each time with an autograph at the bottom, just to keep his 'fans' happy.

Quite what they were fans of, he didn't know. Since becoming Champion, he had received seven serious challenges, each more pathetic than the last. On the last one, some girl from Sinnoh, he actually went easy on her, allowing one of his pokémon to fall.

For half an hour, Samia wrote and wrote, barely paying attention. Looking away from his dull task, his eyes fell on his victory picture. He could barely recognise himself, the bright eyed ten year old that he had been. Surrounded by his array of pokémon, his eyes locked not on them, but on the only other person in the picture, the man who raised him, his Grandfather.

Even now, he could perfectly remember the slight prickle of the rough shaven chin, the frailness as they hugged, even the slight smell of cigar smoke that seemed to follow him round. Samia felt a pang of loneliness. He hadn't seen his Grandfather for nearly three years now, both of their duties had kept them too busy.

Samia snorted at his thought. Duties. Strolling round from photoshoot to photoshoot, commercial shoot to commercial shoot, dull task to dull task. If the League committee could do one thing, they kept him busy.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Making himself look busy, Samia answered the knock. "Enter."

His secretary walked in, and Samia could barely suppress his groan. Here came his daily timetable. Sometimes he felt sorry for Natasha. She was a bright girl, quite an accomplished trainer, and quite easy on the eye. And she was stuck managing his affairs, quite possibly one of the dullest tasks on the planet. Her clothes matched the dullness of her job, a long black pencil shirt, a crisp white blouse and intellectual glasses.

"What have we got today Natasha?" Samia asked, trying not to sound to bored.

Behind the lenses, Natasha's eyes narrowed. She had definitely heard his tone then. Ah well, Samia would get over it. Brushing her bright red hair behind her ears, she pulled up a clipboard, almost with a flourish.

"At 10 you are meeting with your official fan group." Natasha spoke, doing quite a good job of faking interest. "At 11 delegates from the Sinnoh league are here..."

"Nooo" Samia moaned, his heart dropping. "Cynthia is so dull. She constantly drones on and on about Team Galactic, the lake trio, and some other garbage."

"Of course," Natasha snapped, "But they are here nonetheless. At 12, you have a press conference about the new tournament, and your lack of participation."

"Great, nothing like a grilling from the jackals of the media."

"Continuing on, you have a break, then at 3, members of the Kanto gym league are here to ask about your lack of enthusiasm to the leagues of other reasons."

"Nothing like being lectured by a group of trainers who couldn't quite make the League and can't be bothered to better themselves. And I bet that damn redhead will give me another talk on the 'importance of water types' and nearly deafen me in the process."

Again, Natasha replied snappily, "If you say so, now please stop interrupting, next we have..."

Samia had already stopped paying attention. Someone would direct him where to go, and most likely tell him what to say. It's like these people thought he had some say over League policy. He wished, he was simply a poster boy, sent out to crush some new challenger now and again.

"Very well Natasha, thank you." Samia spoke, signalling her to leave. Natasha gave a plastic smile, and then left the room, closing the door with a snap. Sighing again, Samia guessed he should be nicer to her, but after eight years, he just didn't care anymore.

Half an hour later, he was led to his fan club. A bunch of hyperactive children who nearly fainted as he entered the room. Some stared at him in awe, whereas other grilled him about his battle strategies and squad choices. Quite what they intended to inform him of, he had no idea. Here, he, the best trainer on the planet, was being told how to improve by a bunch of kids, most of whom probably hadn't even started there own journey. Samia gave robotic responses, signed a few more autographs, the same as every other time he had met them. Some even challenged him to battles, which he was forced to graciously decline a he left the room.

Good god. After nearly an hour with those brats, Samia's mood had only worsened. Out the door, Natasha guided him down a large corridor to the press theatre, which was sure to be another life-dulling experience.

The rest of the day ran like clockwork, so with some time left, Samia decided to pop into the training arena, just to let his pokémon out for today. On his waist lay only two pokéballs, Sandslash and Absol. He released the two out onto the painted gravel of the arena and sat down on the rough surface.

Everything here was dull. The only light came from a pair of strip lights, thirty feet up on the high ceiling. The walls were grey, with no decoration, the only door illuminated by a fire exit sign.

Even his pokémon looked bored, the once bright light that was behind there eyes having dulled, leaving just a slight sheen, though that could have been the light. They looked at him, sensing his feelings. Even there auras weren't as prominent as they once were, become dull, with very little movement, in contrast to when they use to battle, when they were a tornado of light and colour.

"I'm sorry guys," Samia spoke sadly to his pokémon, "I didn't know it was going to be like this." Looking at him sadly, the pair of them came over, curling up around him. The trio hugged each other, not blaming each other, but not relieving their frustration either.

For a time they just sat their in there embrace. It was nice being with his pokémon, though they weren't quite the powerhouse battlers that they once were. Years of doing only basic training and lack of any real challenge had left them out of shape. Still more than enough to face off against any trainer, but a serious challenger might find it easier than they would have done eight years previous. They wouldn't win, but might deal some serious damage.

The door opened, but Samia didn't look up. The footsteps of the new arrival echoed as they walked over, but Samia didn't care. Whoever it was, he had probably heard what they had to say at least a hundred times before.

"Erm, Sir?" Came Natasha's unsure voice.

"Yes Natasha?" Samia answered with a groan, still remaining on the floor.

"Erm, we just got a letter through, from your family."

Samia eyes snapped open, alert. Other than his Grandfather, he never spoke to his family, completely out of choice. They just didn't get on. He could still recall there last 'talk', where they called him an embarrassment to the family name, mainly for having his ability to connect with pokémon, which they saw as freakish, and promptly disowned him. After that, his Grandfather took him in, raising him, teaching him his ideals. So what did they want now, after all this time?

"It says your Grandfather has fallen badly ill, and they don't know if he, well, if he's going to be okay..."

Samia jumped to his feet, shocked. "When did this letter arrive, and how?" He asked with a firm tone, shocking Natasha.

"Ummm, it must have arrived this morning, and it was dropped off by a Noctowl."

"I should have been told sooner!" Samia exclaimed, he quickly recalled his pokémon, and ran across the room. As he left the room he shouted across, "I'll be gone for a few days!"

He was going home.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

All Alone

For the first time in years, Samia felt like he had a purpose.

He quickly changed out of his ridiculous league gear and picked an outfit that reminded him of the old days, as a travelling trainer. Scruffy trainers, torn jeans, plain t-shirt and logo-less jacket. It felt refreshing to not be an walking advertising board.

Back in his office, he tore around frantically. Documents were strewn everywhere, covering the usual spotless floor. In the corner, a computer whirred and beeped, every now and again churning out another one of Samia's pokéballs with a flash of light. If Samia was going home, he wasn't just taking two pokémon.

"Sir, I must insist you reconsider!" Natasha shouted over the racket from near the door, "You can't just leave like this!"

Samia ignored her, too focused on his task to care. Grabbing a piece of paper, he began to scrawl a note.

_Dear Committee, due to unforeseen family issues, I have been forced to return home. Please do not contact me whilst I am gone. I will let you know when I will be back when I have more details of my families situation._

Grabbing the note, he thrust it at Natasha. She looked at it, then at Samia with a confused look on her face.

"Make sure it gets to the committee." Samia said, then added afterwards "Please."

Natasha gulped, her calm face suddenly fearful "You, you want me to go in front of the committee? But only the Grand Champion..."

Samia closed his eyes, "Please Natasha, I need you to do this for me." Opening his eyes, their sights locked. "Don't worry about the committee, they're people, not Gyrados."

Natasha nodded, subdued, then left the office, leaving Samia to get back to his task. Spinning around, he shut the door with a slam. His eyes raced around the room, thinking if he would need anything else. Sure he hadn't forgot anything, he grabbed a rucksack, full of about thirty pokéballs, and left the office.

He stepped rapidly through the corridors, heading for the exit, hoping not to run into more fans. Luckily, the building seemed deserted, so he got through without incident. Pushing on the thick metal doors, the world outside was revealed in all it's beauty.

Samia stood on a mountain top, and as far as his eyes could see an army misty peaks rose, jutting into the clouds, proud to fight against gravity. The peak on which he stood was easily the smallest, and the largest was over two hundred miles away, yet could be seen from where Samia resided, rising above it's brothers. Apparently, no one had ever reached its peak, or at least returned to tell the tale at any rate.

Shivering against the cold, Samia pulled out a pokéball from his bag, and released the pokémon that resided inside. With a flash of light, barely visible in the intense sunlight, it appeared. It's hide was completely green, and Samia was buffeted by a gust as it flapped it's large wings. His old companion looked around, large antennae twitching, wondering what was happening. The pokémon's red goggled eyes found Samia, and joy spread across it's insect like features.

Leaping forward, it pinned Samia to the ground with it's forearms and began licking his face happily, glad to be reunited with it's master. Samia spluttered and laughed, but also felt slightly bad. It had been too long since he had been with most of his pokémon. He made a vow then and there, to let all of them out when he had the time at Grandfathers reserve.

Still laughing, Samia managed to get his arms free and covered his face. "All right all right Flygon!" He spoke to his pokémon, "Calm down!"

Flygon sat back on his haunches, waiting for it's trainer contently, it's large tail wagging back and forth. Over the next twenty minutes, Samia hooked up and tied a saddle to Flygon's back, allowing him to ride the large distance more comfortably.

Flygon began to bob up and down, knowing what the saddle meant. Getting impatient, it's wings began flapping, only making Samia's task more difficult. Eventually, the saddle was harnessed, and Samia jumped on, his feet hooking into the straps comfortably.

Out of his pack, he pulled out a pair of protective goggles, much resembling the lenses on his mount. Leaning forward, Samia spoke whispered into Flygon's ear "Take us home."

On the command, Flygon's whole body tensed, pulling back. It's large wings were pulled in close to it's body, and with a powerful push of it's legs, Flygon leapt clean off the mountain and into the air. Samia clutched around his pokémon's neck, not wanting to be buffeted by the powerful wind. Either side of him, the now airborne pokémon's muscles flexed, and with powerful strokes, huge wings kept them aloft, propelling them toward their destination.

Hours they flew, through the crisp air, above cities and oceans, the world underneath them passing by like a great tapestry, a mixture of hues, green, brown and blue. It all flew past in a blur, with nothing of note happening, Samia simply sat there, being calmed by the rhythmic flapping of Flygon's large wings.

In this time, Samia was left with his thoughts. It would be the first time he would see his Grandfather, and judging from the letter he had received, it wouldn't be in the best of circumstances. It would be strange, seeing the man who raised him, not full of life. After his parents disappeared, and the rest of his family were not interested, his Grandfather took him in, and raised him as his own, teaching him his ideals, and most importantly, how to battle, both with pokémon, and by himself.

Eventually, a forest came into view, stretching from horizon to horizon, bordered by a magnificent meandering river, cutting the stretch of land off like a small island. Roughly straight ahead of the pair lay a lake, calm and sapphire blue, with the river entering on either side. It was by this lake, named Togura Water, that his Grandfathers ranch lay.

Slowly, Flygon began to descend, and a building came into view, a vast, three storey building with rough brick walls and large double glass doors, doors which harshly reflected the evening sun. Either side, lush green grass grew, and wooden fences bordered a massive area, easily the size of a small village. These fields were normally full of pokémon, yet the were strangely empty, giving quite a lonely feel to the ranch.

With a thump, Flygon landed on the soft grass, front claws leaving deep gouge marks, revealing the dark earth below. Samia jumped down, recalled Flygon and turned to face his childhood home, to see a figure walking towards him. Noticing this, a frown crossed his face. Auntie Davene. Fantastic.

A rather dumpy sort of woman, Samia had never seen eye to eye with her. She always believed his 'gift' was more of a curse, without ever explaining why. This led to a rift in the family, meaning Samia had had little to no contact with them for nearly fifteen years now. As he surveyed her, Samia noticed that her appearance hadn't changed much, even her clothes seemed to be as he remembered, thick black trousers and a blue turtle neck woollen top. As for her facial features, they seemed to bear no resemblance to Samia. Her hair was a dirty coppery colour, and her chubby cheeks drooped either side of her face, almost like a bulldog.

She stopped about two meters in front of Samia, put her hands on her wide hips and gave him a disapproving look. "So." She said matter of factly, "Managed to tear yourself away from your celebrity lifestyle to come see us have you?"

Samia noted the insult, but kept his anger check. "Why, did you miss me?" he answered, his voiced laced with sarcasm. He had to be careful, his Auntie had snapped at him before, and he had to focus on why he was here. He took on a serious tone, "Let's get one thing straight, I'm not here to see you, or any of the rest of this fucked up family, I'm here for grandfather, and that's it."

"Don't you swear at me boy" Davene answered angrily, her voice becoming louder, "That's my father your talking about. If anyone has no right to be here, it's you! You Freak!"

Samia was struggling to hold back his rage, his jaw clenching, biting back his retort. "Of course, how could I have forgotten?" He answered politely. Without another word, he stepped past his blustering Aunt, straight toward the building. As he approached, the glass doors opened smoothly, revealing a cooling atrium, complete with a reception desk and waiting area.

Almost as if he had never been away, Samia walked through a heavy oak door behind the desk, down a hallway, where he heard a gaggle of voices, evidently the rest of the family was here. Tiptoeing down the hall, Samia crept past the half closed door where the voices were coming from, avoiding another potential confrontation, and headed straight to his grandfathers room, where he stopped in shock.

On clean white linens lay his Grandfather. The once proud man, full of life, looked to be, quite literally, on deaths bed. Beside him, all manner of machines and contraptions beeped and whirred, monitors flashing up different numbers and symbols that meant nothing to Samia. Tubes and wires ran around, attaching themselves to his Grandfather. And Samia was scared.

Samia had not been scared for along time. Since becoming champion, everything had worked out. His grandfather couldn't die, he was too strong, too resilient, and nothing never went wrong in the life of the champion. Kneeling next to the bed Samia clasped his Grandfather's hand, which felt cold and clammy.

"Grandad?" Samia asked softly, "Can, can you hear me?" A tear came to the champion's eye, "It's me, it's your Sammy." He was becoming desperate now, how could this be happening, he shook his grandfather's hand, trying to stir a response. For almost an hour he remained there, wrestling with his emotions, until his Grandfather began to move.

Slowly, his Grandfather's eyes opened, and his yellow eyes met Samia's blue ones, and his look softened. "Samia, you came." he spoke softly and slowly, like each word took phenomenal effort to utter. "I didn't think you would make it."

Samia brushed his tears out of his eyes with the back of his sleeve, sniffing as he did so. "Of course I made it you silly old fart." Samia smiled, trying to lighten the dark mood. "It took me all day to get here on Flygon though, look, the sun is setting."

Outside of the large bay windows, what Samia said was true, the sun was indeed lowering below the horizon, leaving the room to get darker and darker, yet Samia didn't get up to turn on the lights, he wanted to be by his Grandfather's side, no matter what.

His Grandfather coughed and spluttered, and again looked Samia in the eyes. "Samia, listen to me." He spoke, his voice being to show hints of pain, "Our gift, I showed you how to you use it, but..." Before he could finish, he began coughing again, cutting him off.

Samia gripped his Grandfather's hand tightly, willing him to get better, "Please, don't strain yourself, just relax."

"No, there is no more time," Taking a few breaths, he continued, "I never told you, beware of that power. It. Is. Dangerous. The more you use it, the more dangerous you will become. You will lose your humanity, your morals, until..." Again, he was cut off by another spate off coughing, and this time, Samia stood up and moved closer to the head of the bed.

"Shush now, rest, please." Samia pleaded, "I can't lose you." Dread ran through Samia, and the room was getting darker and darker as the sun continued its inevitable route below the horizon. Samia remained motionless, crouched next to the bed.

All of a sudden, a monotone beep came blaring out of one the machines, and a once zigzagging line flat-lined. Samia still remained motionless, even as medical staff ran into the room. They began shouting too each other, but still he remained there, there voices silent to him as he went deep into his mind. He knew what had happened, and sadness filled his heart like it never had before. All of the memories with his grandfather, all the experiences, the lessons, flashed before his eyes. Being presented a baby Absol at the age of five, winning his first battle, his first girlfriend, becoming Champion, his Grandfather had been there for all of them.

Overcome by grief, Samia began to weep, crying like a child. An unknown figure led him out of the room into the corridor, where he sat in the dark with no protest. People ran past him, some tried to speak to him, but he ignored them, and they left him alone.

All alone.

All of a sudden, a great fury roared up inside of him. His eyes snapped open, looking for someone to blame, someone to take it out on. It was like a dragon had reared up inside of him, spreading warm anger to the tips of his toes and fingertips, into every fibre of his being. It felt like he was on fire, yet as soon as it had arrived, it had gone.

Calming himself, Samia now was worried. Where had such a dramatic mood swing like that come from? Is this what grieving was? If so, he didn't like it. At all. At that moment, he made a snap decision. What was the point in being Grand Champion? He knew he could defeat anyone, so why bother staying in the middle of nowhere to prove that fact?

It was time to leave the League, but first, a Grand Tournament had to be called, for the first time in eight years. Rapidly, Samia pulled out his phone. The call was made.

At any rate, some poor trainer would suffer his wrath by the end of the month...


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
The Tournament Begins!

From far and wide, they heeded the call. It seemed almost overnight, but the world of pokémon had been gripped with a fever never before seen over the new Grand Tournament. Across the four great regions, from modern Kanto and traditional Johto, the islands of Hoenn to the historic Sinnoh, trainers began to come.

Few, however, were eligible.

To even begin the challenge to be Grand Champion, trainers had to have defeated the Elite Four of the Kanto-Johto Alliance, as well as the Elite Fours of both Hoenn and Sinnoh. An apparently impossible task, yet on top of this, they were required to have competed in at least two major tournaments, finishing in, at minimum, the top eight.

Looking at the list, Samia smiled. Many familiar names were on here, most of them a fair few years older than himself, yet many he had defeated on his own path to Grand Champion. It was good to see they were still in the game. However, a few new faces appeared, teens who in their first few years had achieved the requirements. These 'prodigies' reminded Samia of his younger self.

Along with challenging trainers, other names presented themselves. Members of any Elite Four were allowed to compete, so as he read through, Samia noted that Cynthia was in the competition, as were a few members of the other leagues. However, the majority of competitors were travelling trainers.

Placing the list down, Samia glanced around his room. Hopefully, this would be the last period of time he would have to stay at the League, as his boredom was becoming intolerable now. Then again, if he thought he saw potential in any of the finalists, he fully intended to challenge them himself.

In the corner of the room lay a large, dark wooden bookshelf, full of tomes relating to all things pokémon and battle tactics. Picking one at random, he flipped it open. With a flash of nostalgia, Samia realized it had been a book his Grandfather had given him for the Kanto-Johto League, with information about Dragons and how to defeat them. In the inside leaf of the book lay his Grandfather's elaborate handwriting.

_I know you can do it, Sammy! Read and learn this book, and in no time you will have that whole League grovelling at your feet!_

The message brought a tear to Samia's eye. Even back then, when he had just passed ten years old, his Grandfather had believed in him. Who was there to support him now?

Placing the thick book back, Samia walked out of his room, heading through the familiar corridors, scarcely thinking of his task. He had made the walk from bedroom to office that many times it seemed to be imprinted in his muscles, as his legs simply led the way whilst he continued to read the list of combatants for the Tournament.

Samia walked into his office, acknowledging Natasha at her desk with a pile of paper work that nearly concealed her from view, and picked up his cool glass of orange juice. As he sat down, relaxing on his chair, Samia fervently hoped all the commotion over the short period of time taken to get this tournament organized would mean that he would have little to do. Unlikely, but he could hope.

Reading down the list, one of the names seemed to ring a bell, but he couldn't quite place it. Alanah Bingham. Where did he know that name from? Pressing a button on his desk, a computer monitor rose out of a gap in the wood, and a keyboard presented itself to Samia. Grasping the controls, Samia pulled up the list, and entered the girl's name into a search engine.

Instantly, numerous videos appeared of a young girl, barely over than thirteen, defeating a shocked looking Lance, crushing a startled Steven, then going on to fill Cynthia with rage. She she had changed little between the videos; it seemed as if she had defeated all three Leagues within the space of six months. Pulling up the profile, a picture of the mysterious competitor filled his screen, along with a personal profile.

'Alanah Bingham, age: fourteen', Samia read of her info. Looking at her picture, it showed a happy, carefree looking teenager with white blonde hair reaching well below her shoulders, and bright blue eyes, almost like his own.

Bingham. Samia nearly spat out orange juice in his own stupidity. Bingham was the family name of the man Auntie Davene had married, some scientist from the big city. Would that make this girl, his cousin? Checking the info, it was correct, 'Parents, Davene and Daniel Bingham.'

Leaning back, Samia was intrigued. Was it possible that this girl, Alanah, had the gift? His Grandfather told him that Samia had been the first person in their family to have it for nearly sixty years, with the last person being Samia's Great-Grandfather, whom he had never met.

There was only one way to find out, he would have to see how she fared in to tournament. Samia quickly closed the videos, reluctant to observe her battling style. He wanted a surprise. A sharp rap came on the door as someone drummed their knuckles against it. Taking another sip of the sweet juice, he called over. "Come in."

Natasha walked in, wearing her usual office clothes, looking flustered. "Right, the Tournament has been organized." She spoke, sounding out of breath. "The Committee wishes to speak with you before the start, which will be at the end of the week, four days from now."

"Got it." Samia, answered. With one final gulp, he finished his drink, turned off his computer and began to leave the room. "Natasha?" He asked, "Will you walk with me for a while?"

Natasha looked taken aback by the request, "Of course sir."

The pair walked through the corridors, heading to the conference room where the Committee would inevitably be waiting. Knowing what he needed to say, Samia found that he couldn't. He was suddenly tongue tied, his mouth began drying up, his once rock-hard confidence fleeing him like Pidgey from an Arbok. Gulping and licking his lips, He finally got the words out.

"Natasha, I'm sorry." First part over, next part, keep the momentum going, "I know I haven't been the best person to work for, that I never seemed to care about anyone or anything, that I seemed like I didn't want to be here. But, you made the days worth while. If you hadn't been here to guide me, to keep me on track, I would most likely have gone crazy a long time ago."

Natasha stopped in her tracks. That was most likely the longest thing Samia had said to her in all of her employment. Samia stopped, and looked at her dumbstruck face, and nearly laughed from the absurdity of the situation.

"Samia." She finally answered, and he noticed the unusual use of his first name. "When I was younger, I followed your battles, your rise to fame. I cheered in front of the TV in the pokémon centre when you defeated the former Champion. From that day, I vowed to meet you somehow. I stopped my own journey for a chance to meet the Grand Champion, and my joy was through the roof when I got the job working for you. It has been an honour working for you, and after all you have been through, the dull repetitive tasks they have you do here, I don't blame you for being bored."

Samia felt better. He then felt a pang of guilt as he had possibly messed up Natasha's life a little bit. No. She said it herself, she enjoyed it here, or at least, didn't hate it. As they approached the door to the conference room. The pair stopped outside.

Suddenly, Natasha pulled Samia into a thick hug, embracing him like a crying child. "Go get 'em, boss." With that, she let go of him, gave him a quirky smile and walked back down the corridor whistling a cheerful melody. Chuckling to himself, Samia entered the room.

A large black table ran the length of the room, bordered by five chairs, four round the sides, one at the head. Pulling up another chair, Samia sat at the far end of the table. The five Committee members sat there, looking at him. Each one of the Committee members looked old, their glory days clearly behind them. The all wore an identical black suit with a golden pokéball emblazoned on the breast pocket.

"Samia." The head of the Committee spoke, "This Tournament has not been easy to arrange on such short notice, yet, as per your wishes, it has been done."

Samia bowed his head, "Thank you, honourable Sir." Inside, Samia could tell this was going to be a regularly dull meeting.

"On the bright side though," Another member spoke, "The revenue we have gained through fresh TV contracts and merchandise has gone through the roof. Our stock has raised by nearly five hundred per cent!" The members spoke amongst themselves happily, enjoying more wealth being added to their already bulging pockets. This continued for nearly five minutes, until their joy over more money died down (but only slightly).

"Now Samia." The head of the Committee spoke to him, "You have been our longest serving Champion, and possibly our most talented. It grieves us see that you are leaving, but we cannot stop you."

Samia's rage flared slightly. Grieves? What did these detached old business men know of grieving? He had just lost his Grandfather, that man who raised him, and they dared speak to him of grieving? The only thing they would grieve would be their lost dollars as they could no longer exploit his image.

"For your long service, we have gotten you a leaving gift." Samia anger was replaced with shock. A gift? Did that mean these wrinkled old men had a trace of a heart in them? From under the table he pulled out a long package, measuring probably about two feet in length. The package was handed down to Samia, who took it hesitantly, unsure what to think.

"Come on, open it!" One of the members spoke up, and the others chirped in, passing similar messages.

Slowly, Samia unwrapped the package. The first thing revealed was a bright white leather case, thin but stretching the length of the package, tapering to a point at one end. At the other, lay a black handle, with what looked like a square cross-guard.

"You got me, a Katana?" Samia asked unsurely.

"Yes!" They all answered in unison.

"Your Grandfather informed us some time ago that he trained you in the ancient arts, including swordplay, so we had this commissioned a while ago, but never really had the time to present it." The head member spoke. "As you can see, we had it's color scheme match your most famous pokémon, the magnificent Absol."

Slowly, Samia unsheathed the blade, which came out smoothly and with a satisfying snick. The blade was curved and slender, and the grip easily accommodated his two hands. Twisting the blade, he saw that an Absol had been etched into the base of the blade. Samia was speechless.

"Th..Th..Thanks!" He stuttered. He had never had such an ornate gift. He could barely believe his eyes. Re-sheathing the blade, he tied the cloth strap and stored it on his back, the grip protruding over his left shoulder.

"That's not just any blade, sonny" The eldest member wheezed, "We had it forged out of the finest Aggron mined steel, and the handle crafted out of the oldest Salamence bone. It is one of a kind, so don't lose it!"

Samia bowed, low, his back arching forward. "Thank you Sirs, I cannot express my gratitude, and it has been a privilege being your champion." Raising himself up, Samia was surprised to see beaming faces. Perhaps money could bring happiness after all.

"Now Samia, we need you to go down to the Atrium, and meet the competitors! The shuttles bringing them should arrive in the next few minutes."

Samia nodded his head and left the room. Perhaps those old men weren't so bad after all. As he stepped through the corridors, he considered the weight of what they had just done. Swords like these were only ever given to the greatest and bravest of warriors, so they had just given him a great compliment.

Stepping into an elevator, Samia pressed the button for the ground floor. The sheet metal doors closed in front of him, and his stomach lurched as the elevator descended. The trip took all but thirty seconds, and the doors opened revealing the grand Atrium.

Either side, two great trees flanked the automatic glass doors, and in the centre of the sheer white floor lay the symbol of the grand league, a golden pokéball, enamelled onto the tiles. Opposite the door lay the reception desk, lacking any staff.

Why not? Samia stepped behind the desk and powered up the computer. Flicking through the menus, he opened up the check in list, and waited for the competitors to arrive. Drumming his fingers on the desk, he contemplated what he planned to do after this was over. Perhaps he would travel again, or maybe he would re-open his grandfather's ranch.

After about ten minutes, the doors glided open silently, and a gaggle of teens walked in. These were evidently the youngest challengers, most of whom were not much older than sixteen. They walked up to the desk confidently, until they saw who was behind it. At this point they turned to jelly, all images of confidence lost. Samia laughed and checked them in, and porters appeared to direct them to their respective rooms.

Throughout the day, they arrived. Some, like the first group, melted when the saw Samia. Others greeted him as an old friend and rival, whereas some just blanked him altogether. By the end of the day, sixty-four challengers had been checked in.

The challengers were here. The battlefields were ready. After eight years as Champion, Samia's final Grand Tournament had begun.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
A Worthy Successor?

Samia stifled a bored yawn. Below him, the two combatants, if they could be classed as combatants, were commanding their heavy, slow, and powerful pokémon on the field. Samia was not impressed; whilst the large Ryperior was certainly impressive, if he himself had been battling, he would have wiped both those squads with his eyes closed.

Looking around from where he sat, the arena was full of spectators, who shared none of his boredom. They cheered, screamed, shouted, clapped and celebrated every time an attack was cast, caring little for true battling technique.

In his "executive" box, Samia had an unrestricted view of the field, along with anything he asked for. Several times he had inquired if Natasha would like to join him, but apparently, she was being kept busy by the League, getting things ready for Samia's eventual replacement.

Samia wished he could have done something more productive, like train, or maybe stay in bed? Either would have been better than watching pathetic amateurs like these struggle to effectively use their powerful Pokémon. He wished for two things: one, that this farce would be over, and two, that he could see Alanah battle. She had fought once and won, yet Samia had been unavailable during the fight so couldn't watch it.

Still, the odd competitor showed signs of talent. Cynthia looked to have improved significantly, as did a few others of the old crowd. Still, one new trainer who caught Samia's eye was a young boy, from some backwater town in Kanto, who blasted through his first two battles with an oddly powerful Pikachu and a good mixture of different regional Pokémon. Yet in third round he was crushed, so badly so that Samia actually flinched as his Pokémon sustained serious-looking injuries. That Charizard probably wouldn't fly straight for a while.

Finally, the battle ended, and, per the image he had to keep up, Samia stood up visibly and applauded both competitors, then exited through his personal door into the depths of the League, heading towards the training arena.

His impatience was getting unbearable. In the training arena, targets flew back and forth, with Absol taking them down with ease. Samia decided to sit down on the edge as Absol continued to blast the red and white bulls-eyes, even when their motion caused them to become a blur.

Deciding he should sort his squad out, Samia thought of his Pokémon which he should use in his exhibition match against the new Champion. Over his travelling years, Samia had trained extensively, often at his Grandfather's ranch.

Grandfather.

Leaning back, Samia looked up at the familiar narrow strip lights, not really paying attention. If his Grandfather had been here, he would have his usual wise advice; what Pokémon to pick, how to avoid this deathly boredom, just in general to help Samis pass the time. Samia had never realized just how big of an input on his life his Grandfather had.

Back to the matter at hand, Samia began thinking of his Pokémon. Flygon had rarely been used for battling even in the old days, mainly as transport, so he wasn't usable. Sandslash was one of Samia's more accomplished Pokémon, often seen just behind Absol. Racking his mind, Samia worked out the pros and cons, strategies and combinations, and after several hours of brain racking in silence, he was awakened from his thoughts by the touch of a cold wet nose of the back of his neck.

Startled, he turned to see Absol's dark face right next to his, Its red eyes gazing deep into his own blue, and Samia relaxed. He had a week till the final, all the time he needed to finalise his squad. Absol sitting next to him, Samia ruffled the fur on its head, and together they sat, trainer and Pokémon, in complete silence, simply enjoying the other's company.

Sighing, Samia stood up. He thought it was time to get to bed, he had enough of training today. Recalling Absol, Samia walked through the corridors, where he encountered Natasha. As she noticed him, she blushed, her complexion almost matching the redness of her hair.

"Ah, sir, I was hoping to find you." She spoke, looking at her feet sheepishly. "This letter arrived for you." Without making eye contact, she thrust a letter towards him, then rapidly walked off the second he took it. Frowning, Samia hoped their exchange the other day hadn't left things too awkward between them.

Walking into his room, Samia dropped onto the bed, comforted by the soft springs of his mattress, looking at the letter he had been given and considering whether he should tax himself and read it. "Why not?," he thought. "I've done little else today."

Breaking open the envelope, he folded open the letter, where the first thing he noticed was the seal at the bottom. It showed two swirls of colour, one pink, one blue, locked together as two halves of a circle. It almost reminded Samia of two Pokémon's aura when they locked themselves in combat. Ignoring it, he proceeded to the actual letter. It was hand written, in elegant flowing text. Looked expensive as well.

To the Former Grand Champion Samia. (Former? He hadn't left just yet!)

We have learned that you are leaving the Grand League. Whilst many former battlers such as yourself tend to live in isolation after their glory days, training in solitude, we believe this is a massive waste of true potential, and would not like to see a talented battler such as yourself follow such a route.

Our proposition is this. After the tournament, meet our representative in the City of Sootpolis, in the region of Hoenn. If you are interested, our contact, Kori, will meet you in the bar there, called the Shining Dragon. He will be there for five days after the tournament, so don't hang around!

Samia scoffed. Great, some random society who wanted to add his name to their roster for nothing but to raise their profile. Samia was ready to throw the letter away, until he saw a small note on the bottom.

If you are unsure or sceptical, look in the envelope.

Frowning, Samia tipped the envelope down, and an old polaroid picture fell out. Picking it up, Samia looked at the picture and his heart did a double take. There, in the centre, stood his grandfather, looking significantly younger from when Samia had known him, with laughter on his face. On the chest of his blazer was sewn the same pink and blue seal at the bottom of the letter. This intrigued Samia's interest, yet he still was unsure. Deciding to sleep on it, Samia rolled into his bed, and willed himself to sleep.

The next week seemed to fly by. Samia came up with the handy excuse that he was training as to avoid watching anymore dull battles, and finalized his squad. Looking at the six pokéballs, he felt a glimpse of nostalgia. These were some of his oldest Pokémon, and his strongest companions. And today, today was the final day.

For the last time, Samia dressed into his Champion gear. Leather boots snugly gripping up his calves, tightly fitting to the black trousers. Over his black under shirt went his Champion's tunic, the gold pokéball emblem gleaming in the light. Finally, the red cape came, hooked around his shoulders gracefully, hiding his belt of pokéballs from view.

In the mirror, Samia frowned. Brushing his hand through his brown hair, he contemplated how glad he was that he needn't wear the ridiculous garb again. As he stepped out into the corridor, two hired guards instantly flanked either side of him, garbed in identical blue uniforms. They walked silently, their footsteps echoing in unison round the metal corridors. Up ahead, a light blossomed, expanding, everything behind it hidden. The hubbub of a crowd could be heard, accompanied by the disembodied voice of an announcer.

"AND NOW, WE PRESENT..." boomed the voice of the announcer, "YOUR CHAAAMPION! SAAAMIAAAA!"

The crowd cheered, and Samia stepped out into the light onto the centre of the battlefield. Huge granite walls surrounded him, protecting the raised crowd from the fury of the battling Pokémon. Samia waved, revolving, whilst inside he felt a mad craving to simply get this over with. The stadium rose into the sky, three tiers holding tens of thousands of eager fans. The field itself was was made of a tan dirt, which stuck to Samia's clean black boots. On either side of him, the two finalists approached, both female.

One was easily the most recognizable face in the tournament. Cynthia. She wore her own, less ornate regional Champion's garb, a simple black outfit, with no decoration. Her long blonde hair concealed one of her eyes, and half of her face, bringing quite a mysterious feel to her. She was older than Samia, yet he still found her oddly attractive, even if she did have a bit of a temper on her when she lost. However, it was not Cynthia who interested him.

The other competitor walked forward, with a beaming smile, waving up at the crowd. Samia's apparent cousin, Alanah. Her hair had changed from her picture, it was now much shorter, barely reaching her shoulders, yet it was still the same white blonde. Her clothes were rough to say the least, ripped jeans, a stained red t-shirt, muddy shoes. It did, however, fill the typical stereotype of a travelling trainer. When she saw Samia, her look of happiness changed, and she frowned.

Both of the finalists were now either side of Samia, only two meters between the three of them. Samia could feel both of them staring him down, wondering why he was leaving the Grand League, no doubt.

Alanah spoke first, "So then, Cousin," emphasizing the final word, "my mother says that you are a bad influence, a blight on our family."

Samia couldn't say he was shocked. What else did he expect from the spawn of his Auntie Davene? "Of course," he replied in a monotone voice, "Why am I not surprised?"

"My mother says that you are responsible for Grand-papa's death."

Now that did surprise Samia. For a moment his anger purged reason from his mind, making him forget where he was and whom he was. Spinning on the spot, he faced his cousin, fuming.  
"How dare you!," he snarled. "That man raised me, if anyone killed him, it was your bitch of a mother with her damned foolishness and arrogance."

Alanah laughed scornfully, "Oh, seems I've touched a nerve," but then her expression changed, fury on her face. "But if you ever speak of my mother like that again, I'll crush you to a pulp."

It was Samia's turn to laugh. "You may try, oh dear Cousin," he replied, his words laced with heavy scorn, "but you'd have to get there first. I'm sure Absol would wipe your entire team."

Alanah looked furious. She opened her mouth for a retort but was cut short by a loud cough. Cynthia was standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot, and wearing a frustrated expression.

"As much as I hate to break up this touching family reunion, we have a final to get on with!"

"Of course," Samia said smoothly, nodding his head to the Sinnoh Champion, "Now, this will be a full six on six battle. Substitutions are available at any time, and you may use any Pokémon you wish. There will be no time limit, and the winner will be presented the Grand Championship by me, after a exhibition match." Samia listed off the rules, he had memorized them days ago. "Now have a good battle, and may the best trainer win!" With that, he turned and left the field, where on the edge of the arena a raised platform had been prepared, complete with what looked like a throne.

As he walked up, Samia saw Cynthia and Alanah exchange quick words before heading to their respective sides of the field. Sitting down on the throne, Samia had an unrestricted view of the field. He stood up and picked up a microphone. "BEGIN!" His voice boomed out over the stadium. As he sat down, he surveyed the throne. It seemed to be crafted out of solid gold, with a purple velvet lining. It looked impressive, but it was far from comfortable.

Fast as lightning, both competitors drew pokéballs from their belts and hurled them forcefully (and a bit unnecessarily in Samia's opinion) toward the field. At precisely the same time, equal flashes of light appeared, revealing two very different Pokémon.

At Alanah's end stood a Pokémon that resembled a four legged tank, coloured blue with a steel cross running between its blood red eyes. A Metagross. Samia wondered if Alanah had sent out her strongest Pokémon first in order to try and wipe Cynthia. If so, she had a surprise coming.

Cynthia however, was predictable. Whilst she was most likely saving her Garchomp for last, the Pokémon she had summoned was still one she was known for using. Roserade. Looking tiny in comparison, the grass type moved gracefully, looking like it was holding twin bouquets at the end of its thin green arms. Still, it took up a battle stance showing it wasn't here to mess around.

The true announcer told the crowd the names of the Pokémon, and on a large battle screen, near a picture of both trainers, a black circle lit up with a picture of their first choice. Samia looked down at the field, mildly interested. This might be a good battle after all.

Though from where he sat he couldn't hear the trainers commands, he had battled enough Pokémon to tell what was happening. Metagross's eyes glowed blue, in preparation for a psychic attack. If it landed, it would likely take out Roserade in one hit, so Cynthia shouted a command, and both Pokémon moved into action.

A purple ball gathered between the petals of Roserade's 'hands', and spinning to gather momentum, it hurled the sludge bomb at Metagross before it could fire its psychic attack, blocking its eyes. The Metagross roared out in frustration and fired the Psychic attack randomly, missing Roserade but leaving a deep crack in the arena wall. The Roserade spun around gracefully, like a ballet dancer, in celebration of its attack.

Shaking itself, Metagross got rid of the sludge blocking it's vision, and its furious eyes locked on to the still dancing Roserade. Metagross then moved quickly, tucking in its four legs and flying toward Roserade, attempting to crush it with the sheer weight of its body. Roserade elegantly flipped over the charging steel type at the last second, somersaulting over to the far end of the field.

Metagross planted its four legs and wildly looked around for its foe, unaware it was behind it. Roserade gathered another ball of energy, this time a glowing ball of light, and fired it into the air. Instantly, the arena became warmer, like a summers day on the beach, despite the fact they were in a mountain range.

Samia smiled, he saw Cynthia's tactic. She knew with her current choice she wouldn't stand a chance in toe to toe combat with Metagross, so she would avoid and harass it, forcing it to make a mistake, then finish it off. Alanah however, had other plans.

Calmly, she called out an order to Metagross, who spun rapidly on the spot, facing Roserade and fired a beam of pure energy at the grass type. The Hyper Beam was so powerful it made the hairs on Samia's arm stand up. As the beam hurtled toward Roserade, Cynthia called out her own order, and Roserade quickly gathered up light from the intense sun and countered with Solarbeam.

Both beams of energy collided in the centre of the arena, leaving a large crater and a pillar of smoke. Metagross fell backwards, gathering energy after such a draining attack. Roserade, however, had no such problems. It was running forward, so fast its legs seemed like a blur, barely seeming to touch the floor, and Alanah could do nothing but watch as Metagross tried to recover quickly from its hyper beam.

As it ran, Roserade thrust it's right arm into the air, where a ball of sinister looking energy blossomed, spinning and pulsating. If that attack was anything, it would be a Shadow ball to hit hard on Metagross. Roserade hurled the ball, straight at Metagross, where it impacted right between its eyes, denting the steel cross. The steel Pokémon roared in pain as the attack landed, yet managed to pull itself to its feet, having recovered from its Hyper Beam.

Cynthia didn't hesitate, she commanded Roserade to fire another quick Solar Beam from close range, the powerful beam of solar energy blasted the static Metagross back towards its trainer, where it landed in a tangle of iron legs, like an upturned Squirtle.

Cynthia smiled, and the crowd cheered. Samia was slightly impressed, she had certainly improved from when he had been a young trainer, at least. In contrast, Alanah looked angry, her eyes matching the same fury that was in her Metagross. She shouted something, and Metagross rolled over, albeit slowly, back on to its feet, where it stood on quivering legs, obviously suffering from the last combo of attacks.

Samia was intrigued as to how Alanah would handle this. Cynthia had evidently had her Roserade train to avoid power attacks like Hyper Beam to compensated for its low health. If anything, Samia would have taken out Metagross and subbed in a faster Pokémon, yet Alanah seemed to be sticking with her first choice.

She shouted out another inaudible order, and opposite, Roserade, crouched in preparation to avoid an attack. Metagross took a step forward, but as soon as it moved, Roserade thrust its left arm into the ground and grass came out of the floor around Metagross, wrapping itself around legs, holding it still. Roserade then stood tall, and pushed both of its arms out to either side of it, manipulating the Grass Knot attack, and Metagross's legs were pulled out, trapping it flat to the floor. More grass covered it, and eventually, the mighty steel-type was trapped.

Roserade walked menacingly up to the trapped Metagross and Cynthia called something out, apparently aimed at Alanah due to her replying with the finger, to which Cynthia laughed. At the same time, Roserade stopped but two meters from Metagross and gathered two balls of dazzling solar energy, one at the tip of each flower, and plenty enough to finish off its weakened foe. Raising its arms high, Roserade collected the two balls into one, and blasted a beam straight at Metagross, the force of the explosion covering the combatants in dust, hiding them from view.

Samia leaned back. If the battle was going to continue like this it looked like he wouldn't have a chance to battle his cousin after all.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
It Runs in the Family!

Samia peered forward inquisitively. Had Metagross somehow taken that attack? Slowly, the dust settled, revealing Roserade standing triumphantly atop Metagross's unconscious form. Glancing at Alanah, Samia saw her rapidly recall Metagross as Roserade back flipped back to its original position in front of Cynthia.

Samia could almost see the gears turning in his cousin's head as she tried to figure out her next pokémon. She needed something fast enough to keep up with Roserade, but also powerful enough to take it down swiftly. Perhaps a flying type?

Alanah pulled out her next pokéball and released a pokémon that was definitely not a flying type. Strong powerful white legs impacted on the dirt field, kicking up a small amount of dust. Raising its head, the pokémon lifted deadly-looking green blades, which crackled with psychic energy. Sitting back, Samia contemplated Alanah's choice. Gallade. This could prove interesting.

Gallade moved into action upon Alanah's command, and swiftly fired three balls of swirling psychic energy at Roserade, who dodged easily with a series of back flips. Both pokémon moved fast, barely visible to the human eye. Roserade formed with another Shadow Ball, coloured a much darker purple that Gallade's psychic attacks, and fired it at the running Gallade.

Alanah called over another order, and Gallade covered its right arm blade in purple energy and jumped into the air, swinging the Psycho Cut, which blasted the Shadow Ball back at a shocked looking Roserade. Roserade was left with no time to react, and took the full force of its own Shadow Ball attack.

Gallade, however, had not yet stopped moving, and Cynthia called out a rushed looking order to Roserade. She was apparently trying another Grass Knot, as it thrust both arms into the dirt. Instantly, the field around Gallade's legs was surrounded in grass, reaching up grabbing its legs. Gallade was stopped in its tracks, seemingly at the mercy of Roserade like Metagross.

Roserade pulled up its hands and walked toward the struggling Gallade. By now the emerald grass had trapped in its arm blades, leaving it helpless. Again, Roserade summoned up a blossoming ball of solar energy in preparation to finish off another opponent. Looking across, Samia noticed that Alanah seemed perfectly calm, and she called out another order to Gallade.

The second Roserade unleashed its Solar Beam, Gallade de-materialized, leaving the beam to hit nothing but air, harmlessly impacting on the arena wall. Roserade looked around, but it was too late. Gallade had teleported directly behind it and landed a heavy blow to the back of Roserade's head, sending it sprawling across the arena. Roserade attempted to pull itself up, but the strain was too much, and it collapsed unconscious.

The crowd roared in unison and Samia smiled. Alanah wasn't too bad after all. She had quickly adapted to her opponents strategy and countered it effectively. On the field, Gallade teleported back in front of its trainer, ready for its next opponent.

Cynthia called back her now useless Roserade and snatched the next pokéball from her belt, calling in her next pokémon. Her choice was Lucario, a jackal looking Pokémon, primarily coloured blue and black. Standing tall, it bellowed a challenge at Gallade.

Samia raised an eyebrow. What was Cynthia thinking? Lucario's Steel typing may have negated its weakness to Psychic, but it added a weakness to Fighting aligned moves, which Gallade had already displayed considerable force with. Unless Lucario was massively more powerful, this was going to be a short fight.

Each trainer called out an order, and their Pokémon responded swiftly. Gallade's blades glowed with an ethereal blue light, powering up a Focus Blast attack, whereas Lucario began charging directly at its opponent, its claws glowing with sinister purple energy.

Two super-effective moves, the only question was, which would land first? Gallade released its Psychic attack but Lucario jumped out of the way of the oncoming shockwave and continued its run at Gallade.

Samia saw panic on Alanah's face as she rapidly called out an order, and Gallade swiftly summoned up Psychic energy into its blades. Lucario's Shadow Claw impacted heavily upon Gallade, but with the Psycho Cut it managed to block most of the damage. Each pokémon's face was now but millimetres away from each other, snarling as they pushed on each others defences Neither trainer called out an order, so each pokémon took it on themselves to duke it out in close range combat. Both were equally matched, blocking, dodging, diving, each avoiding hits like the champion martial artists they were.

Samia could see both trainers calling out orders, but neither pokémon was listening. They were fighting on their own now, in the purity of close combat, each vying to be the strongest fighting type.

Cynthia was clearly shouting at the top of her lungs, her face going red with fury as Lucario continued to blank her commands, but Alanah did something strange. She closed her eyes with a calm looking expression on her face, and remained motionless for about ten seconds whilst the two pokémon fought with increasingly desperate blows. Alanah opened her eyes and swayed a little bit, seemingly from exhaustion, almost as if she had just...

Samia leapt up from his seat, the battle now getting his undivided attention. He quickly looked at Gallade, and suddenly, it teleported out of reach of Lucario and finished it with a rapidly cast Psychic attack. Lucario fell to the floor, crushed by the unexpected move. Cynthia blinked, looking shocked, clearly nonplussed as to what had just happened.

Samia was furious. That damned hypocrite! She dared to called him a freak because of his ability yet she possessed it herself? Clearly she only possessed limited training in this field as her Pokémon still showed signs of weakness, but nonetheless, Samia fully intended to confront her about it.

Alanah gulped, and it almost seemed as if she looked nervous. Samia still felt furious, but was distracted by the sudden booming voice of the announcer.

"OH, EVEN THE GRAND CHAMP WAS IMPRESSED BY THAT LAST ATTACK!"

Samia blinked and looked up at the screen where a camera had focused on him, standing up, leaning forward, gripping onto the guardrail and looking dumbstruck. He smiled, and raised his hands in applause whilst inside, his fury burned. It was not inevitable that Alanah would win but, even with her weaknesses, with that gift her pokémon could respond quicker, hit harder, and fight for longer than normal pokémon. If she was fighting anyone but Cynthia, Samia would have predicted a whitewash.

Cynthia shook her head, clearly passing off what had just happened as fluke, and called forward her next pokémon. Samia grinned. Cynthia had played it smart here and gone for a super-effective pokémon which Gallade would have trouble hitting. The pokémon itself was a swirling vortex, pockmarked with traces of green. Its face was the scariest of most, a horrific crooked smile and mismatched green eyes. Spiritomb.

It remained motionless and silent. Gallade took a step back, unsure on how to cope with this new opponent. The psychic type looked back at its trainer for instruction, but Alanah still seemed to be figuring out a strategy of her own. Whilst she was thinking, Cynthia and Spiritomb leapt into action.

Still completely motionless, a ball of black crackling energy formed in front of Spiritomb's "face", spinning rapidly, and from no visible outside influence, it jetted toward Gallade. Gallade managed to dodge, barely, and soon, the arena was being pounded by constant Dark Pulses from the static Spiritomb.

To give Gallade credit, Samia had rarely seen a pokémon work so hard. Often, it had to dodge using a teleport attack, but as soon at it reappeared, it was being shot at again and again. Several times it teleported in close to land a Psycho Cut, but it did nothing to the Spiritomb, who continued to fire Dark Pulses like they were going out of fashion.

Eventually, Gallade was going to slip up. The attacks were getting closer and closer. Alanah had tried to recall her pokémon but due to its erratic movements couldn't hit it with the return beam, leaving it at the mercy of Spiritomb.

Soon, Gallade's movements slowed right down, and it took a hit as it tried to jump. It fell to the floor on its hands and knees, and threw a gaze of fury at Spiritomb as the last Dark Pulse hit it, hurling across the arena like a rag doll. It landed in a heap near Alanah's feet, who finally managed to recall her now incapacitated Pokémon.

Samia was still angry at Alanah, yet he was curious. If she won, what would happen if they fought and connected with their Pokémon at the same time? The strength boost to each Pokémon would be huge, but the question is, whose would be stronger? Samia was sure it would be him, but wasn't willing to put money on it. Hopefully his battling experience would see him through with ease.

As he had been thinking, Alanah had called out her next battler. It was a large lion like pokémon, which announced its appearance with a ear splitting roar, shaking its thick black mane and whipping its thin, star tipped tail back and forth. Again, Spiritomb remained motionless, its horrifying face stuck in a crooked smile.

Alanah and Luxray were unperturbed. She called out an order, and the electric type tensed its body, gathering a charge. Meanwhile Spiritomb had prepared more Dark Pulses for firing, three of them circling around its vortex. One after another, the dark pulses were launched, and Luxray released a whip of electrical energy, batting each one out of the air before smashing into Spiritomb. Still, the ghost-type remained motionless, but its face showed a flicker of annoyance. Cynthia stood triumphantly and ordered another attack, to which Spiritomb obeyed.

Suddenly, the Spiritomb shimmered out of existence. Luxray lowered its head, growling as its eyes frantically searched for its opponent. Unexpectedly, the Spiritomb phased back into existence directly over Luxray, landing on top of it, pushing it onto its stomach.

Luxray let out another roar and gripped the Spiritomb with a mouth charged with thunder and flung the ghost back over to where it originally stood. Luxray panted, the unexpected impact had done more damage than it had appeared. On the other side, Spiritomb's vortex spun slower, clearly showing signs of damage.

Both trainers looked concerned for their pokémon but continued regardless. Cynthia had clearly decided to finish Luxray now as Spiritomb was gathering energy in preparation for a Hyper Beam. Luxray prepared to fire its own Thunder attack, and dark clouds gathered around the stadium, showing the true power of Luxray's electric attack. The crowd gasped, and Samia rubbed his arms in an effort to keep warm against the gale force wind that seemed emanate from the storm clouds.

Spiritomb fired its Hyper Beam which impacted on Luxray, who was still gathering electricity. It roared as it was thrown backwards, yet as a final act of defiance, it fired its charge into the gathering clouds, and though they crackled with electricity, no attack was released. Luxray smashed into the arena wall and crumpled to the floor, unable to battle any longer.

Even from where Samia sat, he saw a worried look cross Alanah's face as she recalled Luxray. Still, Spiritomb was clearly weak, and should fall relatively easily. Alanah let out a long breath, seeming to calm herself and threw her next pokéball forward, unveiling her fourth pokémon.

Four legs thick like tree trunks landed on the arena floor, causing minor shockwaves. Flipping its head around, the green pokémon showed off an exquisite red flower around its long neck and twin antennae upon its head. A Meganium. Samia realised this meant that Alanah had most likely started her journey in Johto, as Chikorita were damn near impossible to find in the wild.

As soon as it had appeared, Alanah called out an order, and razor sharp leaves appeared around Meganium and began flying toward Spiritomb in a swirling vortex. Each leaf that landed caused the ghost type to fall further back into the rock from which it emanated from, making it smaller and smaller until all that was left on the field was the grey stone from which that vortex had originated from.

Samia was relatively impressed by both challengers. Cynthia had improved dramatically from their battle all those years ago, and Alanah was more than capable of holding her own against the best of the best.

Cynthia recalled Spiritomb and with no pause summoned her next pokémon. As the flash of light materialised it flew up into the sky, showing itself as a flying type. The flash morphed into an egg shaped body, with two sweeping triangular wings flapping elegantly to keep it airborne. The Togekiss flew round the arena, and Meganium had trouble rotating fast enough to keep up with its speed.

Around and around the circular arena wall it flew, and Meganium continued to rotate, tracking its target. Soon however, the grass type became unsteady on its feet, and began to sway slightly from dizziness.

This was when Cynthia struck. Seeing Meganium vulnerable, she ordered Togekiss to attack. Instantly, its triangular wings were surrounded in a bright white light, and it streaked towards the swaying Meganium. Alanah called out her own order just in time, as Meganium ducked its long neck, dodging the air attack.

Planting its feet, Meganium regained its steadiness and narrowed its eyes. It was clearly not going to fall for the same trick again, as Togekiss resumed rapidly flying round the arena walls, but Meganium made no effort to track it.

Cynthia clearly realised the tactic wasn't working, as she called over to Togekiss who landed in front of her, its beady black eyes staring down its foe. For a few seconds, the two trainers and pokémon were silent, the crowd was hushed, waiting to see the next move. Above, the storm clouds from Luxray still loomed ominously.

Alanah broke the silence first. Meganium glowed with a green light, and lifted up its forelegs high before smashing them into the ground. The arena rumbled and Samia's knuckles went white as he gripped onto his chair. Alanah's pokémon were certainly strong to muster up this kind of power.

Thick green trunks, barbed with talon-like thorns burst out of the ground all around the arena. Togekiss let out a shriek of panic and leapt back into the air. All around the thick vines of the Frenzy Plant attack whipped back and forth, darting toward the rapidly accelerating Togekiss. It took all of the flying types skill to avoid the attacks, but it was being forced to fly higher and higher, dangerously close to the...

A crack of thunder echoed around the stadium, and a flash of lightning raced down, blasting the shocked Togekiss. For a second it was illuminated, writhing in pain as thousands of volts raced through its body, yet when the lightning disappeared, it fell, body smoking, toward the Frenzy Plant attack. The vines smashed the Togekiss as it fell, leaving deep cuts where the vines hit its body. Togekiss landed in a burnt, cut up smoking heap.

Cynthia looked far from happy. She had fallen into Alanah's trap easily, and now was on the back foot. On the field, the vines receded, the ground sealed back up and Meganium stood in front of its trainer, both looking smug.

Cynthia recalled Togekiss, placing the pokéball on her belt. She only had two pokémon left, whereas Alanah had three including Meganium. Samia knew, along with the whole arena, that one of Cynthia's pokémon would be Garchomp, and the other would be...

With a flash of light the serpentine Milotic appeared. Cynthia was clearly saving Garchomp for last, not wanting to play her trump card just yet. Samia fervently hoped that Alanah hadn't played hers just yet. Alanah smiled, clearly confident she could beat a pokémon which her Meganium had an advantage against, and thus rapidly shouted out a string of commands.

Meganium began running forward with a speed that didn't seem to fit its bulk, and leapt into the air, clearly intent on crushing Milotic with its body weight. As it plummeted toward the water type, Milotic snaked out of the way, leaving Meganium to crash into the floor.

Without hesitation, Milotic used the split second advantage to gather up a ball of ice. It formed in front of its gaping mouth, and after about a second of charging a crystalline light blue beam blasted Meganium in the back.

The grass type howled in pain, but Cynthia showed no reprieve. Milotic kept up its Ice Beam attack, causing tremendous damage the the writhing Meganium, who had now been forced onto the floor.

Alanah looked angry for her slip up, and called out to Meganium. Samia watched as Alanah's pokémon's eyes glazed over with a white light. Suddenly the same light covered its body, and slowly it pushed forward, creating a Light Screen. The defensive tactic paid off, as the strength of the defence rebounded the Ice Beam into the sky and, pushing its head forward, Meganium managed to get shakily back up to its feet.

Alanah called out another order, and two Vine Whips protruded from the flower around Meganium's neck and hurtled toward the Milotic, which was oblivious as it tried to force home its Ice Beam. The vines grabbed the Milotic, one just under its face and the other just above the tip of its tail. The mighty water pokémon was lifted into the air, its body writhing between the two vines as it tried to break free. Below it Meganium began firing Razor Leaves up, leaving deep cuts in its frame.

This battle was getting out of hand, some pokémon could get seriously hurt. In the crowd, some parents hid the sight from shocked looking children, but they couldn't block out the sound of the screaming Milotic. Meganium began slamming its foe into the floor, the walls, anything that would deal some damage. Samia's rage boiled over again, this time unbearable. He was ashamed to call that girl his relative. On the other side, Cynthia seemed to be pleading with Alanah to release her pokémon, but she seemed to be paying no attention.

Eventually, Alanah decided that was enough, so Meganium dropped the unconscious Milotic on the floor, not at all gently. Cynthia was furious, and Samia did not blame her. She recalled her pokémon, and pulled out her final pokéball. Alanah seemed to be taunting her, but she paid no attention. She gazed deep into the pokéball in her hand, and looked up at the field. With a flourish, she called in her Garchomp.

The dragon landed on its four clawed limbs, and its blue back arched, showing off a shark like fin. Its golden eyes locked onto Meganium and it roared out a challenge that could be heard from all around, a fierce, defiant challenge that said that the battle was far from over.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6  
End of an Era**

Meganium took a few tentative steps backwards in response to the ferocious roar, clearly nervous. It was heavily weakened from its battle with Milotic, the Ice Beam having dealt serious damage. Behind it, Samia saw Alanah bite her lip nervously. If she truly had the gift—or as she would call it, the curse— she would feel the raw power being emitted by Garchomp.

Cynthia's Pokémon raised itself onto its hind legs and lowered its shark-like face at its Grass-type foe. Again it roared ferociously and Meganium backed up a few more steps, clearly fearful.

Alanah's Pokémon panted slightly showing signs of its exhaustion, but Alanah paid no heed. She slammed her right foot down in determination and called out her order. Meganium gathered its remaining strength, summoning up a ball of pure white energy for a Hyper Beam.

Garchomp simply gripped its claws into the dirt and raised its two scythe like arm fins, crossing them in front of its face. Clearly, it intended to show its strength by not even dodging.

Both trainers stood motionless. Time seemed to slow, from Meganium the Hyper Beam seemed to crawl towards Garchomp. Inch by inch, the whole crowds heads moved in unison, following the beam. It smashed into contact with Garchomp's defences and the dragon-type bared its teeth; with a swift movement, it flung its arms up into the air, sending the Hyper Beam hurtling into the sky.

Before Alanah could even react to this new tactic, Garchomp had leapt forward, propelling itself with its powerful legs. It hurtled the whole distance toward Meganium, who could do nothing as it tried to desperately regather its strength from the Hyper Beam.

With an audible thud that echoed around the arena, Garchomp landed on Meganium, crushing it to the floor. Before Alanah's Pokémon could react, Garchomp lashed out with its powerful claws. It was brutal to watch, Meganium could do nothing as Cynthia's renowned battler laid into it. The onslaught barely lasted ten seconds, yet it seemed to last a lifetime. The blood curdling painful shrieks of Meganium were harrowing, Cynthia evidently gaining revenge for her Milotic.

When it stopped, Garchomp leapt backwards to where it initially initially, a savage look on its face, its forearms stained with the blood of Meganium. Cynthia smiled, and the crowd was quiet, other than a few murmurs and hushed whispers, probably about how brutal this battle had become.

Meanwhile, Alanah had recalled her Meganium, and before returning its Pokéball to her belt, she looked at it for a second with a concerned look. The concern appeared to be short-lived, however, as she promptly pulled out her next Pokéball and brought forth her fifth Pokémon.

Alanah's new Pokémon stood tall, though not quite as high as Cynthia's Garchomp. Along its back, thick blue armored plates quivered, thick defenses that covered its whole body. Twin eyes snapped open, eyes that protruded from the side of its head. It clicked together a pair of blue-black claws whilst behind it, a thick tail smashed the ground.

Samia blinked as he tried to recall what the Pokémon was Alanah had summoned. The last time he had wore a Pokédex he hadn't even been a teenager, so occasionally his knowledge on Pokémon was a little rusty. With a flash he remembered. Armaldo. No wonder he hadn't recognized it, it was a damn fossil Pokémon, the rarest of the rare.

Both Pokémon began circling around the edge of the arena, each eyeing its opponent. Garchomp roared across the field, but Armaldo didn't respond. Both trainers simultaneously called out their orders, and the two Pokémon leapt into action.

Smashing its left foot into the ground, Armaldo kicked up a circle of rocks which rotated around it. Opposite it, Garchomp surrounded itself in a bright blue light and flew toward its foe. The Dragon Rush attack oozed power, and as it passed over the field, a colossal boom echoed out across the arena, showing that Garchomp had broken the sound barrier. Before Armaldo could even cast its own attack, it was sent sprawling from the massive impact, the swirl of rocks fallen all around it.

Armaldo landed on its back, and Garchomp flew back to in front of Cynthia. Slowly, Armaldo raised itself to its feet and snatched up one of the rocks that had fallen to the floor. With an unexpected burst of speed, Alanah's Pokémon threw the rock at Garchomp, where it hit with a sickening crunch upon the dragon-type's chest. Garchomp roared out in pain, yet before it could counter attack, Armaldo began pelting it with rock after rock which Cynthia's Pokémon had trouble dodging.

Before any serious damage could be caused, Cynthia called out an order to Garchomp. Instantly, it leapt high into the air, rotating until its head was pointing straight at the ground. Its momentum slowed, and for a second it seemed to hang static in mid-air, though only for a second. It plummeted toward the floor, dodging the rocks being thrown by Armaldo, and landed with a huge impact which threw up a veil of dust and dirt, hiding it from view.

Across the field, Armaldo stopped throwing rocks as it could no longer see its target. It tentatively stepped toward where Garchomp had disappeared, only to find a gaping pitch black hole. Armaldo quickly realized what had happened, and it began scanning the arena floor, looking for any sign of disturbance to where Cynthia's Pokémon had dug to.

Unfortunately for Armaldo, a hole opened up underneath it, and the ancient Pokémon looked shocked as it was dragged underground. For minutes, the arena was empty, only the odd occasional thud as the two Pokémon continued their duel underground. Looking over at Alanah, Samia saw that she did not attempt to connect with her Pokémon. She either thought her Pokémon would be able to handle itself or believed that the ability was indeed a curse.

It dragged on and on. A roar was heard, and the crowd looked on intently, but still the Pokémon did not surface. People began to boo and shout, this was not what they had come to see. Seemingly in response to these calls, the middle of the arena began to shift. The dirt swirled round and round like a whirlpool, and from the centre rose Garchomp, standing tall with few cuts on its bulky frame. Behind it, it dragged Armaldo. Alanah's Pokémon had not coped well in the subterranean fight, its rocky armor was cracked, blood flooding profusely out of open wounds on its stomach and legs. Garchomp dragged the Pokémon over to its trainer and unceremoniously dumped it in front of her.

Alanah recalled Armaldo, and slowly took out her last Pokéball. Samia wondered, had she, like Cynthia, saved her best for last? If she hadn't, she would have come all this way for nothing. Slowly, she raised her right arm, lifting the Pokéball to head height. Without releasing it, the ball split open, unleashing the Pokémon inside.

The light took form, hovering a few inches of the ground but keeping its snow white color. The new arrival turned its raindrop shaped head around, surveying the now wrecked arena it had been summoned to. Moving its long arms up to a battling pose, it showed off its elegant dress like body, highlighted with a red band. Behind its ice mask, yellow eyes found Garchomp.

Samia was certainly surprised. Frosslass were quite rare to say the least, and with its powerful ice moves, Garchomp would have its work cut out. Garchomp again roared a challenge to the new arrival, but Frosslass remained where it hovered, its only movement to raise its hand up to its purple mouth. It appeared to be yawning.

Garchomp leapt forward without Cynthia's order, enraged at its foe's apparent insolence. Cynthia tried to stop her Pokémon, but it was not going to be reasoned with. Its feet plowed into the floor, its claws leaving deep gouges as it tore towards Frosslass. The huge talons on its forearms began to glow with a bright green light in preparation for a Dragon Claw attack.

At the last second, Alanah coolly called out an order to her Frosslass. Quicker than lightning, Frosslass blasted Garchomp with a beam of ice, throwing it back across the field. Alanah smiled and Frosslass spun around, happy with its successful attack.

Slowly, Garchomp pulled itself back to its feet. Behind it, Cynthia was yelling at her Pokémon furiously, angry that her Pokémon had acted without her orders. Garchomp's smoldering eyes stared down Frosslass, but this time it waited for its trainers command. Gathering herself, Cynthia gave Garchomp an order, while spontaneously Alanah shouted a command to Froslass.

Garchomp's mouth filled with flames and it quickly released the inferno at Frosslass. The column of flame hurtled toward the ice type. Samia could feel the heat from where he sat; if that attack landed it was over, no Ice Pokémon could withstand that.

Frosslass, however, was already acting on its trainers orders. Its body glowed with a bright blue light and it rose into the sky, narrowly avoiding the Flamethrower. Thick clouds began to gather over the stadium, and snow began to fall. Up in the clouds, Frosslass was still illuminated by the blue light, its arms outstretched wide. Garchomp readied another Flamethrower, but before it could fire the light around Frosslass disappeared and hail began to pelt Cynthia's Pokémon.

Samia shivered, he had gone from feeling the heat of the fire attack to the freezing cold of an ice attack. In the crowd, people seemed to share the same feeling, putting their hands under their arms, trying to trap in their rapidly fleeing body heat.

On the battlefield, the two trainers showed no sign of discomfort, standing like statues, issuing out orders to their respective Pokémon. Garchomp began billowing out pillars of flame in all directions, keeping the majority of the hail from reaching it. Opposite it, Frosslass had descended from the clouds. Between its hands, a crackling ball of blue energy could be seen gathering, a sphere of spinning ice, kept in constant motion, fluctuating and pulsating, in constant flux.

Garchomp saw Frosslass, as had Cynthia, so it blasted another Flamethrower toward it. At the same time, Frosslass unleashed its ice attack, smashing the ball into the ground. All around it, ice began to spread, so cold that it froze the oncoming flames in a red-orange crystal. Garchomp cried out to its trainer as the ice trapped its feet, then its legs, then its entire body. Frosslass stopped the attack just before it reached the trainers.

Samia blinked in shock. That was... Sheer Cold? He was sure that Frosslass couldn't learn that move. So if Alanah had somehow taught her Pokémon it, then she must have gone through some intense training, or caught an extremely rare specimen of a Frosslass.

The crowd was silent for a second, looking at the now frozen field, complete with frozen Garchomp. Cynthia called out desperate orders to her Pokémon, but to know avail. Alanah told something to Frosslass, who responded by smashing the ice with its two fists. The ice cracked, spidering out from where Frosslass smashed into the ice. Splinters of ice spiralled off in all directions. Around Garchomp, the ice shattered, falling down with the dragon-type, who was rendered unconscious.

Before Garchomp had even hit the floor, the crowd were cheering, stamping their feet, in general making as much noise as possible. The battle was over, Alanah however, did not celebrate her crowning as champion. She slowly turned her head, her eyes glaring at Samia, unflinchingly, challenging. Cynthia recalled Garchomp and left the stadium silently, her head down, defeated

Samia understood. Slowly, he got off his chair, and walked down the steel stairs toward the arena from his private platform. He took his time, and the stadium fell silent. All eyes were on him, cameras swiveled around to view him, the big screen showing his path toward the arena floor. Samia's eyes, however, saw nothing but Alanah. She may have earned the title of Grand Champion but he didn't care, he didn't want it.

Each step seemed to be dragged out for an age, and the crowd was quiet, with only the odd hushed whisper around the stadium. Samia was going to show Alanah what true Pokémon battling was, how a master truly connects with their Pokémon; how a real champion crushes their opposition, leaving no shadow of a doubt as to who the victor was going to be from the first move. How battling wasn't about brutality, but about elegance. He would remind her what true battlers were all about!

Out of the tunnel came a red and white sphere, resembling a large Pokéball, brought by several porters wearing identical blue uniforms, trimmed with gold. Into the machine Alanah placed her Pokéballs, and the machine flashed three times before returning them. The healing over with, Alanah walked toward the center of the now ruined arena, which was pockmarked with craters, gouges, burns and blood stains.

In the center, the two cousins met. Face to face they stood, silent, Samia a head taller than his younger relative. Their blue eyes gazed furiously at each other. This was more than a battle, this was personal. This was family. The gaze between the two said more than any words could.

"I hope you're ready," he told Alanah. "Because that battle was just a warm up compared to what you're in for now."


End file.
